The city of Blida experienced twin suicide bombings which occurred at the same time Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria. Blida is located roughly 45 kilometers southwest of the capital, Algiers. The sources who have knowledge about the incident confirmed that the explosions were terrorist attacks which resulted in the deaths of two suicide bombers.

The violence’s aftermath was recorded on video because two dead bodies were shown in the footage. The authorities need to prove any existing links between the bombings and the Pope’s historic visit because their investigation work remains urgent.

The American pontiff is the first-ever Pope to visit Algeria, marking the beginning of a highly anticipated four-nation tour across Africa. The papal visit receives extremely strict security measures because of its important nature.

Rare Attacks and Retracted Condemnations

The Algerian military maintains constant reports about its operations against armed Islamist militants who remain active in the country since its 1992-2002 civil war. Actual bombings occur only infrequently despite the Algerian military reporting its operations against Islamist militants who emerged during the 1992-2002 civil war. The Ministry of National Defence previously recorded a suicide attack in February 2020 near the Malian border, and a more recent clash in March left seven jihadists and three soldiers dead near the Tunisian border.

The official authorities in Algeria have not yet made any public statements about the Blida attack. The government maintained silence which created international confusion about the exact details of the event.

The African Union initially issued a strong statement condemning the double attack in the strongest possible terms. The regional organization issued an immediate retraction of its statements and deleted its official statement from all its official channels. An AU spokesperson later explained that the withdrawal happened because the state sources had not yet provided official confirmation about the bombings.